Improvement in double-acting rotary engines



JAMES R HERRQN ROTARY ENGINE.` i 1 1 1 538 for STEAM, 'AIE @WATER Pmmu FEB 71871 l'nvenfw ATENT OFFICE.

fJAMns P. Hannon, or ATLANTmGEoR-GIA. Y

y IMPROVEMENT iN DoueLE- ACTING R'QTARY ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. rlll,53S,`-dated February 7, 1871; nntedated January 30, 1,871.

To aZwho/z, it may concern.- y Be. it known that I, JAMES P. HERRON, of

--Atlanta,l in the county of Fulton and State of j left the escape channel for the agent used. Fig.

5 is a vertical central section ofthe engine in a plane at right angles witlrtlie axis. Fig. 6

v is an enlarged section of a portion of the machine in the same plane as Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a section on the line X X of Fig. 6.

In all the figures like parts are indicated by the same letters of reference.'

l The nature of luy invention consists in the arrangement and combination of two concentric wheels, one ineased within the other, and each being free torevolve on its own axis in su ch a manner that a motive power ad mitted to the inner wheel through its axle shall, by impact and reaction, impart motion to both wheels in opposite directions, Aand continue to react un til it is .permitted to escape, which it does by returning through channels in the same wheel to near the center, and that steam or condensed air shall, rst by impact and then by expan- A sion, produce the same motion and maintain and accelerate it, while no escape of the agent employed can possibly take place through the engine unless it is in motion.

It furtherY consists in the means, to be hereinafter described, of causing the turning of the .two wheels in diiierent directions to produce the continuous revolution of a shaft in one direction, which shaft may bear apulley, crank,

ing the external wheel. From one plate of this .cylinder extends a hollow shaft, a, Fig. 4,with

which the wheel revolves in a manner to be presently described. From the plate on the opposite :side of the wheel B projects the annular ange b', constitutingia collar for the support of the wheelon that side, as will be more Afully set forth.-

O is the internal wheel, and is a cylinder turned to t the inside of the hollow cylinder so exactly as to be near steam-tight, and. at the same time perfectly free. ,The wheel C has a spindle, c, projecting from one side., which passes through and is fitted to the hollow shaft a of the wheel B, thus affording it a bearing, and terminates in a journal having-a bearing at d, Figs. 3 and y4.

From the opposite side of the wheel C projects a flange or rim, e, turned to tit the in- Side of the collar'b of the wheel B, so that one may turn freely around the other withoutany loose play. From the same side of the wheel C with the rim e projects the hollow axle D,

terminating about thc middle of a journalbearing at f. 'The space iu the hollow axle l) communicates with channels g, forn1ed in l the body of the wheel C, of about the shape and proportions shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Their relative depth and the thickness of metal which covers them on each side are shown in Figs. 4 and 7, and they extend to the periphery of the wheel, where they terminate in a narrow slit or opening. (Shown in Figs. 5, 6, and

7.) The number of these channels may be varied;` but I have adopted,and therefore show in the drawings, five. These are the induction-channels. In the body of the wheel C, between t-he channels g, are larger andfdiiierently-shaped channels,- It, which are for the'es- 'cape of exhaust of steam or otherI motive power, and which extend from the periphery ofthe wheel, where they are wider than the openings g, (see Fig. 5,) to the space between the outside of the axle D andthe inside of the riin e, as shown distinctly in Fig. 4; .The spacel within the rim e is shown in Fig. 5 by a dottedcircle. That portion of each of the channels g which `crosses this space `is covered by a plate, as shown at fi, Fig. 4, to preserve its connection with the hollow axle D, and to in-- sure that no communication can exist between the supply and exhaust channels except at the periphery of the wheel. In the journalbox f a ring-packing, 7c, oi' any suitable material, is placed, tolessen the wear of the end ering the escape or exhaust openings around the axle D, is secured a ei'rcular box, E, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and A, having a trunk or channel to conduct the escape away to any pointdesired. On the inner surface of the wheel ,l are cava ities' m vm, (shown-inFig-s. 4' and 5, and most distinctly in Figs. 6, 7,) with smooth'spaces between of a Width about half vof the cavity. The cavity is a groove extending nearly across the inner face of the Wheel LB, being equal in length to the depth of the channels g h, having` one straight side a little inclined from a radial direction, which is in factapistomhead, and extending byA a curved surface from its greatest depth io the line of the inner surface 'of the Wheel B. @n the periphery of the wheel C, between the outlet of the channel g land the escape-opening h, are similar pistonheaded grooves, on, o o, p, Figsd, 6, and 7, but arranged 1u pairs, each pair being oi' a d1fferent depth from the others. Thus the grooves n n, near the4 escapa-are the deepest,

and are separated from each other by a sharp edge. lhe grooves-o o are separated from the grooves 'n and the groove p by a short extent d of the smooth surface of the wheel C, asshown at g, and from eachv other by a sharp edge, and, they are less in depth than the grooves n. The groove p is shallower again than o. Be-

tween this groove and the outlet of the channel g is asxncotl portion of the surface of' the wheeliC, 'forming a cut-oli, rf, a very litleless'in extent than the width of 'a groove m, so that when the cnt-off has reached the left-hand edge of a .groove 'm its right hand edge will have passed the corner of the groove ga The outlet of a' channel g terminates in the pistonlhead face of a groove, s, one side of 4"which -rises from its bottoni with'aslope or a curve until it meets-the left-hand'edge 1 of the cut-o r, as shown in Fig. 6. The outlet' of the channel g and the grooves s and p are formed in a packing-block, F, of steel :or other material adapted 'to wear well, which is let into the face of the vvWheel C at these' points, as shown in'lFigs. Gand Fitting closely, out-with capacity to move freely, it

will loe forced outward by the motive agent, and always kept in contact with the inner' surface of the wheel B, and thus 1'; the engine eiectually packed until it ive-ais ont. The number' of piston-headed grooves m in the 'wheel B is such that no two of them can act or he acted ou in the saine manner at the same instant. 'two in number,

{,r isafpnlley fast on the heller; sh: the wheel B, and revel ves with it. H is another pulley fast on the hollow axle D oi' the wheel U. Their difference in direction of motionis indicated by the arrows in Figs. 2 and 3. @n

the shaft a is also secured fast the bevel-Wheel 1,' and on the end of the spindle c is a similar bevel-gear, l. These wheels engage with and turn the bevel-pinion L, which by its shaft may give motion where required.

ln the drawings they for The operation of my'ilouhle-acting rotary engine is as follows, viz: Steam or condensed air, being vadmitted to the hollow axle ll, is imparted through the channel g upon .the

, straigh'tssidewor piston head of a groove, m,

in thewheel B. The shape of the channel y' permits thel motor to react upon its wall' at that vpoint in its length marked z, and the two Wheels immediately revolve in contrary-directions. That of the wheel B is indicated by thel arrow above it in Figs. '5 and 6. As the Wheels 'continue to revolve, the steam or con densed air which has been forced int-o the grooves-m is successively shut off, so that it will expand between thepiston-heads of the grooves p o -n and grooves m until these'last arrive opposite the outer end' of4 the escapechannels h, when the motor will flow ont.

The arrows in Figs. e, 5, and 6 indicate the course of thecscape. in Figs. s and 5 they show, hy the absence of their' heads, how the motor passes through the annnlarspaee around the axle D into the box E and Belts from the differentv pulleys will give motion whererequired. The outside casing,A.,is not essentialto the construction of the machine,

lthe escape can be conveyed away by a channel from a box covering theilange b of the wheel B, and the engine may he set With'its axis vertical or horizontal.

The arangementwhereindescribed of the bevel-gearing utilizes the motion of both the wheels B and C byfbalancingthepowerex'- ertcd upon the driven`pinion,v and equalizes the pressureof the pinion-shaft on its bearings.

AIt' desired for the increase of speed or any other purpose, the engine may be operated with eitherthe cylinder B onwheel C stationary.

Having thus fully described m'yinvention,

'what I claim as new, and desire to seeureby Letters Patent, jsv y l. The wheel C, having inlet-channels g to receivesteam through the hollow shaft D,and exhaust-ehannelsh to discharge steam ynear its centen'in combination withla wheel, B, pro vided with 'piston-headed grooves for the puroi causing one wheel to turn by impact and the other by reaction, substantially as set fort-h.

- 2. 'lil-he wheels B and C, both provided. with psoniieaded grooves operating in combina-4 tion, substantie-ily :is described, for the perof allowing steam or air te assist in turning both heels by expansion, as set iorth.

" le construction and arrangement of the psi-...n.iiqhlocl; F, operating substantially as,

describe-fl. and shown. l

JAMES P. Hennes.

Witnesses:

GUY C. HUMPnnins, @imams Hannon. 

